Magic Elixir, Nosebleeds, Ceviche and Incas

The BBQ evening was great spent with Ania, Dave and Mikhail (Polish, Australian and Slovenian Couchsurfers) and Juan Carlos and Susan, another Cusco Couchsurfing host. The meat was amazing as usual and Juan Carlos had a "magic Peruvian elixir" which when brushed on the meat while BBQing made it even better (keep an eye on the recipes page on the blog for this and other recipes). We played more tunes and sang more songs and a great time was had by all.

The next day we had great plans to visit one of the Inca sites just out of town but it turned out to be a no go-er. As we mentioned, Cusco is at high altitude (3400 m) and amongst the symptoms of high altitude and dryness is nosbleeds. Charlotte had one first thing in the morning after blowing her nose, another one over breakfast and just when we though it was OK she had a spectacular one in the tourist information place which was exacerbated by the heat and the fact that we´d just walked an hour into town. Plans were abandoned and we headed back to Juan Carlos´s place and took the rest of the day easily.

All was better after a night´s sleep and we were invited to Susan´s house for a bit of a nosh-up and a shindig. We´d also been promised Ceviche, a classic north Peruvian dish made of raw fish, lime, evaporated milk, chillies, and various spices including monosodium glutimate (a really common additive here in South America. They view it as a herb and really, why not?). It was amazing and we munched away gratefully. Many beers, whiskies, caipirinhas and chocolate martinis were drunk and after more tunes, a Jeely Piece song (for Susan´s wee boy - there´s a video on Facebook) we staggered back for a good night´s sleep before the big Peruvian event. The Inca Trail and Machu Piccu.

Background

There are two ways of getting to the Inca city of Machu Picchu. One is to take the train (the easy way) and the other is the famed "Inca Trail", a 4 day trek through the Andes. Our great friends Athole and Kathy trod this path before us and I was informed that if we took the train to Machu Picchu Athole would "kill me". Fearing my life, I esquired about the company that they´d used, booked it and held my breath.

Monday 13th September, 5.30am, Cusco, 3400 m

We were picked up by a minibus and driven to the town of Ollyamtambo where we bought trekking sticks and had a bite to eat. We then arrived at km82 (2800 m) where the trail starts and we met our group. There were 16 of us, three Canadians (Heather, John and Jared), three Germans (Christan, Sebastian and Mandy), five South Africans (Philip, Melinda, Dimitri, Kerry and Narida), three Americans (Mandy, Barb and Richard) and of course a Scot and and Englishwumman. Our guide was Freddy - a bit of a legend as he was the same guide Athole and Kathy had and he was assisted by Ernesto, 21 porters and a chef. Freddy instantly named us "family" (a bit of a habit of his if you read Athole and Kathy´s Blog). He was amazing, his enthusiasm was infectious and he encouraged us through the hardest parts of the trek. Ernesto is a guide-in-training and later it turned out that he was trekking with us while his wife was in labour with their first child. What dedication!

The first bit was a mild uphill but as we were still fresh it seemed easy enough. We were made into warriors by Freddy after painting our faces with a squashed cactus parasite (containing the red dye, cochenille) and we eventually arrived at our first Inca site, Patallacta. we then had lunch which was served not as a pan of nasty freeze-dried food but at a table in a tent set up like a restaurant. It has to be said that the porters and the chef were the real stars of the show. They carry a maximum of 25 kg each including tents, gas cannisters, and foodstuffs up and down all the crazy slopes leaving the puffing and panting Gringos feeling ridiculous by comparison. They then set up the lunch or overnight (or second breakfast in one case!) stop well before you get there, applaud you when you arrive and serve you a meal (soups, stews, pancakes, rice, tatties, pasta, jelly - more carbohydrates than you can shake a stick at) which would not be out of place in some of Peru´s finest dining establishments. It´s really amazing. The path really started to climb late in the day but this was just a taste of things to come...

Tuesday 14th September, 6.00am, Wayllabamba, 3000 m

We were woken up by Ernesto and served coffee/Coca tea (the precursor to cocaine but perfectly legal in Peru and very good for the altitude) in our tents before a fantastic breakfast, my first experience of a squat toilet and off. It was immediately hard going as we were heading up to Warmiwañusca or "Dead Woman´s Pass" at an altitude of 4200 m. It´s amazing the extent to which you really notice the altitude as you climb up and many of us were really struggling. I wasn´t the first to reach the top by any stretch and there were definitely times I though I wouldn´t make it but I have to confess a massive sense of pride when I did and realised that I´d climbed a distance of 1200 m. I am by no means Mr. super fit so it was a big achievement for me. It´s worth mentioning that we did have the option to hire a porter to carry our stuff but we didn´t and carried our kit, sleeping bags and mats ourselves. We had all taken a stone from the bottom of the valley and at the top, Freddy performed a ceremony to Pachamama (Mother Nature as we would say) which involved piling the stones up with coca leaves and pouring some Peruvian rum over. We all got a nip but were under strict instructions to pour some out for Pachamama before drinking. There was then an hour or so of climb down and just when we thought our calves and knees were going to give out we reached the campsite at about 2.30pm, had lunch and took the rest of the day off. There were toilets at the campsites, generally unpleasant but usable but this one had a shower which, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to use. When the icy water crashed down on me I cursed my desire to be clean but I remained a man and had a cold, cold shower.

Wednesday 15th September, 5.30am, Pacaymayu, 3600 m

After the crazy heights of the day before, the next two passes at 3950 m and 3650 m seemed a snitch and we were toured round some more Inca ruins by Freddy. We were in the Cloud Forrest by this point and the vegetation and scenery felt much more like the Amazon. The following 1000 m descent (known as the "Gringo Killer") nearly destroyed us but Charlotte and I decided to take the long way to the campsite through terraces and an amazing view of the valley. We arrived to another amazing meal and a cake, steam-cooked and decorated by Louis the culinary genius. We said good-by to the porters at this point and Richard, as the oldest trekker and the "papa" gave a speech thanking them. There is no-way I could have carried a tent and equipment on the trek and living on freeze-dried food for 4 days would have killed me. These guys were amazing and we couldn´t have done it without them. An early bedtime was necessary as an early start was looming...

Thursday 16th September, 3.50am, Wiñay Wayna, 2700 m

Ernesto woke us up (no Coca tea this time) and after a very quick breakfast we booked our places in the queue for the check point. The aim was to arrive at the Sun Gate to see the sun rise over Machu Piccu at 6.30pm and since the check point opens at 5.20am and the trail from there takes an hour and a half it was a bit of a race. I think by this point I was so used to trekking that it seemed relatively easy and despite the fast pace, we were some of the first there. At first it was too misty to see anything and around us we could hear complaints about how people could have had extra time in bed. Some even gave up and moved on but they missed the real magic. At about 6.40am, the sun rose over the hill behind us, burned the mist away and Machu Picchu was revealed, one of the seven wonders of the world. It was a magical experience and even Freddy, who did it all the time was loving it.

Freddy toured us round telling us about the Temple of the Sun and the three levels of the Inca religion, all with his trademark enthusiasm. It was weird after being in the back of beyond the extent to which we felt hurled back into civilisation. Like Iguazu Falls, Machu Piccu feels a lot like a theme park with expensive restaurants, LOADS of tourists (lazy people according to Freddy) and toilets which you pay for. It was amazing though as (unlike Cusco) it stayed untouched by the Spanish until it was "re-discovered" in 1911.

We then bussed down to Aguas Calientes., a plastic town of restaurants, coffee bars and souvenir shops. We had a nice last meal together though and after realising that wandering the town wasn´t going to while away the afternoon, we found a coffee shop with an upstairs room and a pile of illegal DVDs (something of a theme in South America). We met Freddy (worse the wear after a boozy afternoon) for the train and bus back to Cusco where we crashed.

Today was an easy day as you might imagine. We met Kathleen who´s arrived to do some volunteering with Juan Carlos and the three of us headed into town to do some shopping including lunch at the amazing market here. Our bargaining skills are really improving and Charlotte managed to knock a bag down from 30 Soles to 24 with a pair of socks thrown in. Tomorrow we head away from Cusco to our next adventure and the Amazon Jungle.

So that´s the Inca Trail folks. I have to say a huge thank you to Athole and Kathy for threatening my life and passing on the details of the tour company and also a huge thanks to the wonderful people we trekked with. You´d expect in a group of 16 to find someone you didn´t like but that really wasn´t the case. Everyone was lovely and I sincerely hope we see them again - they´re all welcome to come and stay with us in Scotland. The biggest thanks really has to go to Freddy, Ernesto, Louis the chef and the legion of porters who made the whole experience as incredible as it was. I couldn´t imagine a better way to reach a seventh wonder.

Trust me, don´t take the train. Get yourself a trekking pole, some good company and walk. You´ll thank me later although maybe not on the descent to 4200 m....

Check ot the photos on Flickr! Love to all.

Broken Bow

Forgot to add on the last post - for those keeping up with the how long the fiddles will last stakes, Paul´s bow exploded last week while we were playing for the kids. Exciting!

Darkest Peru

Leaving Kat and Bruno's entailed another set of crazy flying. We took off around 12.45am from Salvador, got to Sao Paulo a little while later and had lots of airport joy time to waste until the next flight at 8.30am. Not easy to sleep. Then a flight to Lima in Peru, a very hasty rush through baggage, immigration and customs and leaping onto the flight to Cusco with half a million other tourists (there was another flight to Cusco leaving from the next gate 10 mins later). I was feeling too sick to see the landing, but apparently it was amazing. Cusco is a sight to see, to be sure, although upon landing the main concern was the whole breathing issue. Cusco is about 3,400 metres above sea level and they offer oxygen shots in the airport when you arrive (we didn't get one for some reason - we were too busy running the gauntlet of taxi drivers wanting our business). Paul had his first effort at haggling with a taxi driver. He was good, but made the classic beginner's mistake of telling the guy straight off the lowest price he would go to. So of course we couldn't get lower than 5 soles higher than that.

Armed with instructions to find our next couch-surfer host, we trundled through town to find that it's actually a really small place. After a little bit of getting lost (we're learning to appreciate the idea of agreeing a price first in a taxi, rather than watching an ever-ascending meter price) we found Juan Carlos's house. It was behind a brightly painted iron gate, and turned out to be an old Kindergarten. Perhaps one of the strangest couches we've surfed yet. Juan Carlos came to meet us, and you couldn't hope for a nicer guy. He rents this old Kindergarten from the owners, and keeps one or two rent-paying housemates, the rest of the rooms he fills with couch surfers. He explained that a while ago he was obliged to spend a few months living in America, but didn't have any money or job or anything. He found a couchsurfer, and was planning to stay with a new one each week. But when he explained his plan to her, she said that an old relative of her's was going to Europe for 5 months and needed someone to house-sit her (huge) house for very little rent. Soon after another couch surfer contact said he knew someone with 15 websites that needed updating and sorting out, and would pay higher than the average as well. So within very little time he had a home, a job, and friends. He's been giving back to couchsurfing ever since. He's kind of the King of Couchsurfing in Cusco.

That evening (struggling for breath and feeling a bit faint), he took Paul and I, and a guy from Hong Kong called Richard, to a weekly CS meet-up that he organises. This is the first time we've been to one of these (they happen everywhere), and it was great to meet fellow CSers! We even had our first dose of Coca leaf tea to help counteract the altitude sickness. The next morning we took a walk into Cusco (Juan Carlos lives in a neighbourhood called San Sebastian, which is about an hour's walk from the town centre) which was quite a struggle due to the oxygen thing, but we're training ourselves for the trek. We had our Inca Trail briefing, which was all very exciting, and got given some garish yellow t-shirts for trek souvenirs. Lovely.

Juan Carlos also runs a volunteering project, Peru 109, which many couchsurfers who stay with him participate in while they are here. So in the afternoon Paul and I, one of JC's volunteers we'd met the night before (Kelly), and a new CS arrival, Liz, went to a domestic violence shelter to help out for a few hours. It was amazing to see the work they do there, and frustrating that there could be so much more good done. Paul and I got the fiddles out to the delight of the kids who were fascinated. Afterwards they all wanted a turn on the fiddles, and a go with the camera, and a shot at wearing my sunglasses.

We also did the now traditional Gay Gordons lesson with Juan Carlos, and then we had a go at teaching the kids and their mums a dance. It was hilarious. It was Kelly's last day, so there was also fizzy drink to be had (including something ghastly and fluorescent yellow called Inca Kola, which tastes a lot like Irn Bru), crisps, and toys given out. All very exciting. The kids were so much fun and so curious about everything - it was frustrating not to be able to do more! I think they get to meet a lot of new people as Juan Carlos often brings CSers to see them. Must be great for them.

That evening we watched Cusco by sunset, went for a beer in an English pub (it had a balcony where we could look over the main Plaza, ok?) and JC, Kelly, Liz and I drank lots of wine while Paul cooked us a fab bolognese. Today we made another mission into Cusco to be proper tourists. And it really is Gringo-tastic. Europeans everywhere, and a Peruvian for each one trying to find ways to part them with their cash. That sounds cynical, but we represent a vast mine of gold to them, and they'll do anything to get it off us. We felt quite hassled, but we'd harkened the warning of the Scottish couple in Foz and so were prepared. Aside from the usual beggars, we were accosted by people trying to lure us into their restaurants, people wanting to sell jewellery, paintings, Peruvian woollens, and offering massages. Oh, and of course Macchu Pichu treks. But if you immune yourself to all that, then you can appreciate the breath-taking architecture and overall beauty of the place. I could look at some of those buildings all day. We did a token visit to the Inca museum (although it was mostly in Spanish, but the artefacts were nice) and then discovered a huge covered market. It had everything - including all the big piles of fruit, veg, and meat you'd expect. My favourite was all the little juice bars which took up rows of the market, and long tables where you could sit and eat all sorts of food which came out of big cauldrons guarded by old ladies. Hopefully we'll go back there soon for lunch. And there were LOTS of potatoes. If only Scott was here...

That's it for now. Tonight some more new CS arrivals are doing a BBQ, and then there's been a hint of going out to play music with a Peruvian musician we met last night. We'll have to see. Peru is vastly different again from all the other places we've been to in South America, and I'm looking forward to discovering more of it! (Even though we are on the complete typical tourist trail. It's a tourist trail for a reason, I suppose!)